Identified! UT - Beaver Co., WhtFem UP12045, 18-40, on train, Jan'14 - Amber Brown

[Sleuthster]

There is a case manager listed on Namus. Is this a person at the coroners office or someone at namus?

I just googled the number and it is someone at the Sheriff's office in Beaver County.

 

[carbuff]

I just googled the number and it is someone at the Sheriff's office in Beaver County.

Thanks, I thought that was a Namus person.

I pinged the guy I know in LV. Hopefully he's still reading his FB...

 

[astridxx]

She had to have hopped on from an overpass. Or are the roofs of train cars easily accessible?

 

[carbuff]

She had to have hopped on from an overpass. Or are the roofs of train cars easily accessible?

Most cars have a ladder on each side to allow access, so she could have climbed up. However, most rail yards are well patrolled these days so getting there isn't easy.

She could have hopped the train the old-fashioned way -- at a crossing or grade where the train is going way slow, grab onto a ladder or open door and climb in, then climb up to the top.

Or she could have been pushed or dropped.

 

[FiveFelines]

Here is an interesting article that talks a bit about the culture of train hopping and how one might access different train cars. I don't know about a tanker car, though:

http://www.wncwoman.com/2012/09/27/this-is-how-she-rolls/

 

[astridxx]

Here is an interesting article that talks a bit about the culture of train hopping and how one might access different train cars. I don't know about a tanker car, though:

http://www.wncwoman.com/2012/09/27/this-is-how-she-rolls/

Piggy-backing on this, there is a "hitch-wiki" http://hitchwiki.org/en/United_States_of_America

Hitch-hiking is completely illegal in NV/UT.

But, at this point we are simply assuming she was a hitch-hiker/squatter, right? (I know, I know, dumb question).

And then there's the problem with her shoes -- either they didn't find any OR they just failed to list them. Is a freight train ride bumpy enough to jiggle shoes off? IMO she was wearing sandals or something without a closed heel. THAT would be easiest to simply "fall off" without much outside force.

 

[musicaljoke]

Is it possible that this woman was trainsurfing, deliberately rising the rails? Was she heading to or from a hobo gathering?

 

[carbuff]

Piggy-backing on this, there is a "hitch-wiki" http://hitchwiki.org/en/United_States_of_America

Hitch-hiking is completely illegal in NV/UT.

But, at this point we are simply assuming she was a hitch-hiker/squatter, right? (I know, I know, dumb question).

And then there's the problem with her shoes -- either they didn't find any OR they just failed to list them. Is a freight train ride bumpy enough to jiggle shoes off? IMO she was wearing sandals or something without a closed heel. THAT would be easiest to simply "fall off" without much outside force.

Yes, assuming because it seems like the obvious thing to investigate when somebody's found dead in/on a railroad car. But I'll be kind of surprised if it turns out she was. The lack of shoes makes me think she was probably murdered by her husband/boyfriend/pimp and dumped on a train so she wouldn't be found near him. Just a guess on my part.

Yes, the shoes could have fallen off, especially if she was wearing flipflops. Yes, trains are often bumpy and bouncy.

Way back in my youth, I did hop a train or two. Nothing serious. We had a Milwaukee Railroad branch line behind our house. It was normally going about five miles an hour going past so it wasn't much trick to grab a boxcar ladder. My brother and I would hang on for like half a mile and jump off at a grassy spot.

 

[astridxx]

Just so you can have an idea of the path she took -- Vegas is near that little notch in the southern point of NV -- looks like it might be a little outside of the city-center. I'm going to try and google map the tracks so I can see if there were overpasses (of course there were, duh) or tunnels (because let's face it, it's not wise to ride on top of a train... especially seeing as how so many tunnels have such low clearance!!)

 

[Reyire Alexander]

I've been following this case and followed the link to read the reponse on squattheplanet, which was interesting to say the least. I actually spend so much time here, I forget others may see this as an odd or morbid hobby. Hm. As to how she got on top of the train could be any number of things, like she was hitching, or even so much as maybe she was joking around and fell or was pushed from an overpass. Is there still no COD listed?

 

[carbuff]

Heard from my LV contact already -- he's looking into it. Will keep you posted.

 

[astridxx]

A few replies coming in on StP.

http://squattheplanet.com/threads/i-need-your-help.18826/

 

[FiveFelines]

Yes, those responses were interesting. I think we creeped them out!

Good to know they think her clothing choices are odd. I do wonder how her body could have stayed on top of a nonstop tanker car for 6 hours if someone put her there.

 

[astridxx]

There are literally two overpasses (actual bridges built over the tracks, not just intersections) in the Utah half of the route she supposedly took. One is at Thermal Rd. and one is near the green circles near Mildford, UT. One at Mountain Spring Rd in Lund, UT. There is a town named Beryl, UT. Rt 56 in Modena looks like it would be a decent place to search, it's a little on the larger side. The track passes through a decent tunnel a little west of Beaver Dam Park. There's another three tunnels a little down the line from the first one I saw. Decent sized city of Caliente -- didn't see any overpasses in Caliente though. Another 5 tunnels south past Caliente. A 2 train bridges on the 317 stretch near Meadow Valley Wash -- another two tunnels south past that. Overpass at Meadow Valley Wash Rd and 168 (kind of southwest of Moapa). Runs next to decent sized city named "Crystal." Run right under Rt 15 (major interstate) near 93 northeast of North Las Vegas and then again a little further South at Las Vegas Blvd / Great Basin Hwy / Rt 15 / 93 and into Vegas. A track joins from the east as the train just pulls into Vegas, but I just spent the last hour tracking the tracks from Milford to Vegas so I'm wiped out.

For those keeping score:

A possible 5-6 overpasses
2-4 train bridges
8+ tunnels
3 decent sized towns (Modena, Crystal, Caliente)
Otherwise, the route is in a DESOLATE area of the US.

 

[astridxx]

Yes, those responses were interesting. I think we creeped them out!

Good to know they think her clothing choices are odd. I do wonder how her body could have stayed on top of a nonstop tanker car for 6 hours if someone put her there.

Ew that one guy was so mean!

Judging from their responses this woman was NOT a hitch-hiker. She was the victim of a murder. Perhaps she ingested one too many drugs, lost consciousness and was thrown out of a car on an overpass outside of Vegas. Though, if I must say so myself, throwing a dead body onto a moving train would most likely result in a bounce and roll situation. And actually, expanding on that one guy's post on StP, she probably was a prostitute. Possible drug addict.

 

[Reyire Alexander]

Ew that one guy was so mean!

Judging from their responses this woman was NOT a hitch-hiker. She was the victim of a murder. Perhaps she ingested one too many drugs, lost consciousness and was thrown out of a car on an overpass outside of Vegas. Though, if I must say so myself, throwing a dead body onto a moving train would most likely result in a bounce and roll situation.

If I was bored, I'd read, play some of my games or clean. This is different, lol. MOO, Of course.

But oddly I wonder if this was intentional or an accident or murder or suicide. Meh, possiblities but it seems a lot less likely she was trying to hitch with the lack of shoes, outwear, food or a backpack. Unless something occured along the way in which she lost her shoes or backpack but I"m unsure how likely that is.

 

[astridxx]

If I was bored, I'd read, play some of my games or clean. This is different, lol. MOO, Of course.

But oddly I wonder if this was intentional or an accident or murder or suicide. Meh, possiblities but it seems a lot less likely she was trying to hitch with the lack of shoes, outwear, food or a backpack. Unless something occured along the way in which she lost her shoes or backpack but I"m unsure how likely that is.

I read one blog where a guy was locked up for trespassing freight trains -- when they let him out it was on a Saturday night and he didn't want to wait around for the jail personal property office to open on Monday so he hopped on another train and headed to the next town and bought some stuff at a thrift store. Possible scenario with our UID.

Also, I had to go back and edit my answer to that guy -- it took all of me to be civil (I get riled up really easily LOL)

ETA: Go check out most recent post by Tick Dickler -- http://squattheplanet.com/threads/i-need-your-help.18826/#post-140360

VERY helpful IMO. I think with their knowledge and expertise we can kind of start to rule out she was a squatter/hitcher.

 

[Reyire Alexander]

I read one blog where a guy was locked up for trespassing freight trains -- when they let him out it was on a Saturday night and he didn't want to wait around for the jail personal property office to open on Monday so he hopped on another train and headed to the next town and bought some stuff at a thrift store. Possible scenario with our UID.

Also, I had to go back and edit my answer to that guy -- it took all of me to be civil (I get riled up really easily LOL)

Ah! That hadn't occured to me because I'm so attached to my stuff in general, it's hard to imagine people just being like, I'll just pick up some new stuff but hey that's a possibility. About if she did drugs or not, I'm guessing her toxicology report wouldn't be back yet?

Haha, your original reply had me laughing though!

ETA: I need to relook at her clothing but I think he's probably correct and the events of her death may be more complicated. Hmm.

 

[FiveFelines]

Ew that one guy was so mean!

Judging from their responses this woman was NOT a hitch-hiker. She was the victim of a murder. Perhaps she ingested one too many drugs, lost consciousness and was thrown out of a car on an overpass outside of Vegas. Though, if I must say so myself, throwing a dead body onto a moving train would most likely result in a bounce and roll situation. And actually, expanding on that one guy's post on StP, she probably was a prostitute. Possible drug addict.

Yeah, I was thinking about the bounce and roll too.

They were kind of mean, but at least their horror/condescension/amusement might lead us away from train hopping. I was all into that theory too. Back to the drawing board!

 

[FiveFelines]

I read one blog where a guy was locked up for trespassing freight trains -- when they let him out it was on a Saturday night and he didn't want to wait around for the jail personal property office to open on Monday so he hopped on another train and headed to the next town and bought some stuff at a thrift store. Possible scenario with our UID.

Also, I had to go back and edit my answer to that guy -- it took all of me to be civil (I get riled up really easily LOL)

ETA: Go check out most recent post by Tick Dickler -- http://squattheplanet.com/threads/i-need-your-help.18826/#post-140360

VERY helpful IMO. I think with their knowledge and expertise we can kind of start to rule out she was a squatter/hitcher.

Oh man, I wish I had seen your original response. I guess I could be doing other things with my boredom, like jumping on trains... ANYWAY, yes, that last reply is super helpful. I agree we need to move on to other angles.